Sri Lankan Muslims deny extremism against India

COLOMBO: The Muslim allies of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka today emphasised that they do not support or tolerate any form of terrorism directed towards India or any other country.

"As representatives of the Muslim community, we would like to assure that neither we nor our community would under any circumstances support terrorism or tolerate any group promoting or engaging terrorism, directed against India or any other country or community," government ministers Rauff Hakeem, AHM Fowzie, Rishath Bathiyutheen, Basheer Cegudawood and ALM Athaullah said in a joint statement.

The ministers said they strongly condemned the attempt to portray the recent arrest in India of a Sri Lankan Muslim reportedly for espionage as an act of terrorism by Sri Lankan Muslims against India.

The ministers are also showing a united front after last month's communal clashes directed against the Muslim minority.

The Buddhist nationalist BBS or the Forces of Buddhist Power was blamed for the violence which killed four people in the southwestern coastal area of Aluthgama.

The BBS in return slammed Sri Lanka Muslim Congress for the violence. Rajapaksa blamed international conspirators for trying to destabilise the country through communal unrest.